Tire-fastener.



No. 780,457. y' Y l' PATENTED JAN'. 17, 1905.

B. L. THUMAS. v

TIRE mstllium.I

APPLICATION FILED 'MAY l2s, 1904! DMEM* Patented January 17, 190:5.

PATENT OFFICE. d

EDVIN L. THOMAS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TIRE-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettere Patent No. 780,457, dated January'17, 1905.

' Application nea May 23,1904. serai No. 209,155.

To all whom, it may con/cern: Be it known that I, EDWIN L. THOMAS, aciti- Zen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county ofErie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inTire-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the fastenings employed for detachablysecuring tires to wheelrims, and more particularly to the class offasvteners comprising a pair of opposing rings provided at their outeredges with lips or anges which embrace outwardly-projecting anges on thebase of the tire.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and secure fasteningof this character Y which permits the ready application anddeautomobile-wheel embodying my invention.

thereof.

tachment of the tire. A

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a transverse section of thevrim portion of an Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section Fig. 3 isa fragmentary face view of the tire-retainer, showing one of thev auX-iliary bolts in cross-section. Fig. 4r is afragmentary side elevation ofthe wheel-rim and the tire-retainer( Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section inline 5 5, Fig. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

A indicates the wheel-rim, which in the construction shown in thedrawings is of wood, but whichmay be of metal, if desired. The tire maybe either of the cushion or the pneumatic type, that shown in thedrawings being apneumatic double-tube tire designed more especially forautomobiles. The outer tube or cas-ing B-of the tire has the usuallongitudinal slit on its inner side for theinsertion of the inner tube Band is providedwith outwardly-projecting base-flanges t, adapted tointerlock with the retainer by which it is secured to the wheel-rim.This retainer consists of two opposing rings or bands C O', surroundingthe wheel-rim and provided at their outer edges with projecting annularianges c, which are preferably hook-shaped or curved inwardly andadapted to embrace the baselianges Z) of the tire, as shown. One ofthese retaining-rings-say the left-hand ring O-is permanently secured tothe face of the wheelrim by screws o or other suitable fastenings, whilethe other ring, is detachably secured to the rim in such a manner thatwhen released it can be withdrawn laterally from the wheel to permit theremoval of the tire for repairing or renewing the same. For this.purpose the detachable ring is provided at suitable intervals withvattaching-lugs consisting, preferably, .of blocks o2, secured to theunder or inner side of said ring and having slots or oblong openings c3for the passage of radial bolts D, which secure said ringto the rim.These blocks are seated in recesses e, formed in the side of thewheel-rim, and the faces thereof which bear against the ring C are Iiushwith the face of the rim. The slots of the blocks extend to their outeredges, as seen in Figs. 1 and 5, to permit the bolts D to enter theslots in applying thering O to the wheel-rim.

Each of the bolts D passes through a sleeve or bushing f, seated in anopening extending radially through the rim and provided at its inner endwith a flange f', which bears against the inner 'side ofthe wheel-rim.Each bolt is provided at its outer end with an oblong head d, which isnarrow enough to pass through the slot of the corresponding block c2when turned in line therewith, but longer than the width of said slot,so as to interlock with the upper or outerside of the block when thehead is turned at right angles to the slot, as best shown inFig. 5. Inorder to reliably interlock the bolt-head with the block, the latter isprovidedin the longitudinal'edges of its slot with seats or depressionsci, adapted to receive the bolt-head. The nut d of the locking-boltbears against the lianged end of the bushing f. When the nuts d of thevarious locking-bolts D are tightened, they clamp the oblong heads ofthe bolts in the seats c4 of the blocks 02,' thuslocking the blocks inplace in the wheel-.rim and securely attaching the removable ring C ofthe tire-retainer to the rim and fastening the tire to the wheel. Tounlock the blocks for permitting the detachment of the ring theclamping-nuts d' of v the locking-bolts are unscrewed suiiiciently topermit the oblong heads of the bolts to be raised out of their seats,and the bolts are then lIOO given a quarter-turn to bring their headsinto register with the slots of the blocks. The blocks are recessed ordepressed on their outer sides suliciently to leave room for the headsof the locking-bolts, as shown.

The projecting outer ends of the lockingbolts are provided with suitablemeans for turning them, the preferred devices consisting of a collar d2,secured to the bolt and having thumb-lugs or wings d3.

In addition to the locking-bolts D auxiliary fastening-bolts Gr arepreferably employed for securing the tire in the retaining-rings C C.However, these additional bolts are not indispensable and may beomitted, if desired. In the construction shown in the drawings thelocking-bolts D are hollow, and the auxiliary bolts pass through thesame and also through transverse slots or notches /i formed in thedetachable ring C/ and openings or recesses formed in the meeting edgesof the tire-casing B. These auxiliary bolts are provided at their innerends with comparatively large heads g, which bear against the inner sideof the tire-casing, and at their outer ends with clamping-nuts g', whichbear against the outer ends of the locking-bolts.

In order to remove the tire from the wheel, the nuts of the auxiliarybolts G are removed or slackened and the nuts d of the lockingbolts areloosened sufficiently to permit of a quarter-turn of the last-namedbolts,as hereinbefore described. rEhe blocks being now unlocked, thedetachable ring C' carrying the same can be removed laterally from thewheelrim, thus releasing the tire and permitting the auxiliary bolts Gto be withdrawn from the hollow locking-bolts. The tire is replaced byperforming these acts in the reverse order.

rlhe blocks c2 in addition to forming attaching members for thedetachable ring C also serve to prevent creeping or circumferentialdisplacement of said ring on the wheelrim.

Although my improvement is designed more especially for use inconnection with heavy tires such as are used on automobiles, theinvention is equally useful for fastening bicycle-tires.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a wheel-rim provided inits periphery with recesses, of a tireretainer comprising a pair ofopposing rings surrounding the rim and provided at their outer edgeswith anges adapted to engage the base portion of a tire, one of saidrings being detachable and provided on its inner side with lugs seatedin the recesses of the rim, and means for retaining the lugs in saidrecesses, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a wheel-rim, of a tire-retainer comprising apair of opposing rings surrounding the rim and provided at their outeredges with anges adapted to engage the base portion of a tire, one ofsaid rings being detachable and provided with lugs having oblongopenings, and locking-bolts passing through the rim and the openings o1said lugs and having oblong heads constructed to pass through saidopenings when turned into register therewith and to interlock with thelugs when turned out of register with said openings, substantially asset forth.

3. The combination with a wheel-rim provided in its periphery withrecesses, of a tireretainer comprising a pair of opposing ringssurrounding the rim and provided at their outer edges with iiangesadapted to engage the base portion of atire, one of said rings beingdetachable and provided on its inner side with attaching-blocks seatedin the recesses of the rim and having openings, and fastening-boltspassing through the rim and the openings of said blocks, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The combination with a wheel-rim, of a tire-retainer comprising apair of opposing rings surrounding the rim and provided at their outeredges with ianges adapted to cngage the base portion of a tire, one ofsaid rings being detachable and provided with attaching-blocks havingopen-ended slots and locking seats ordepressions, and locking-boltspassing through the rim and said slots and having oblong headsconstructed to pass through the slots when turned in line therewith andto interlock with said depressions when turned at an angle to the slots,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a wheel-rim having radial openings and flangedbushings seated in said openings, of a tire-retainer comprising a pairof opposing rings surrounding the rim and provided at their outer edgeswith anges adapted to engage the base portions of a tire, one of saidrings being detachable and provided with slotted attaching-lugs,locking-bolts passing through said bushings and said slots and havingoblong heads constructed to pass through the slots when turned in linetherewith and to interlock with the lugs when turned at an angle to theslots, and clamping-nuts applied to said bolts and bearing against theiianged ends of said bushings, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a wheel-rim anda tire having base-anges, of 4aretainer comprising a pair of opposing rings surrounding the rim andprovided with marginal flanges which embrace said tire-iianges, one ofsaid rings being detachable and provided with attaching-lugs havingopenings, hollow bolts passing through the rim and the openings of saidlugs, and auxiliary bolts passing through said hollow bolts and engagingthe base portion of the tire, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a wheel-rim anda tire having base-anges, of aretainer comprising a pair of opposing rings surround- IOO IIO

ing the rirn and provided with marginal flanges 4whlch embrace saidtire-flanges, one of said rings being detachable and provided withslotted attaching-blocks, hollow lockingbolts passing through said riinand the slots of said blocks and having oblong heads constructed to passthrough said slots when turned in line therewith and to interlock withthe blocks when turned at an angle to the slots, and auxiliary boltspassing through the hollow locking-bolts and the inner`portion of thetire and provided at their outer ends with heads which bear against theinner surface ofthe tire and at their inner ends with clamping-nutswhich bear against the adjacent ends of the locking-bolts, substantiallyas set forth.

Witness my hand this 20th day of May, 1904.

EDWIN L. THOMAS.

i Witnesses:

THEO. L. Por?, E. M. GRAHAM.

